


No Happy Endings

by ScienceNerds



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angry Sans, Gen, but mostly sad sans, game restart, pacifist run, reset, the first time you reset a pacifist run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:20:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5060875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScienceNerds/pseuds/ScienceNerds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after the barrier is broken, Sans has finally started to get used to not having his life rewritten. Unfortunately, someone decides that a happy ending isn't enough. </p>
<p>Occurs the first time the player chooses to restart the game after a pacifist-run.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Happy Endings

          It was a beautiful day on the surface. Even after years of reset-free life, Sans never got used to waking up and seeing the sun. Or the moon, whenever his frequent naps ended up bleeding into night.

          All of them loved the beach, with both the sun and the ocean to remind them of their freedom. Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne were having a sandcastle-making contest that quickly devolved into Undyne destroying the competition, but Sans was just happy that nobody complained when he spent the day lying against some driftwood.

          Frisk walked up to Sans with the ice cream Toriel had bought already melting in their hand. He nodded to the spot next to him on the beach, not taking his hands out of his pockets to invite them over. The kid smiled in response to the offer and sat heavily on the sand. Already they were taller than Sans, but they always slouched a bit whenever they were near. Together, the two of them watched as their friends destroyed a decent portion of the beach in what had become a sand-fight. 

          “I just can’t _sea_ any _porpoise_ to their fighting,” Sans remarked coolly, his trademark grin greeting the child.

          Frisk’s laugh goaded him on. “Better not let my brother hear that joke,” he started. Pausing expertly for suspense, he gestured back to the now-laughing pile of monsters. “I don’t think he could _sand_ it!”

          As always, his joke struck gold. Sans couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at the kid’s receptiveness. They might as well actually be Toriel’s child, with their affinity for jokes.

          Sans had already began another pun when a familiar cold pierced him. He always thought it was odd that he could feel the clammy wave of the universe shifting when the kid was preparing to go back again. It wasn’t like he had any skin to feel it. There was a joke somewhere, he was sure.

          “Hey, kid,” Sans fought to keep his voice casual. Panic was rising in his chest, the same ingrained panic that hit when Papyrus told him that he was going to give the human ‘guidance.’ “Kiddo, whatcha doing? There’s no need for that.”

          Frisk didn’t move. They were staring straight ahead with an expression Sans couldn’t read.

          “What’s there to redo?” He was shaking now, the faint clatter of his joints colliding barely audible over Papyrus’ laugh. “I know they were out of chocolate ice cream, but that’s hardly something to reset over.” It was a weak attempt at a joke. Sans didn’t remember what happened in past timelines, not always, but he knew that this was the good one. Nothing was perfect, but they were free, alive, and eventually he had been able to plan more than a day ahead without wondering what the point was.

          “Kid,” he tried again. Frisk still wasn’t moving. “Let’s talk about it, buddy.”

          Even as the words left his mouth, he felt the shock as the reset began.

          It was over.

          Sans could feel the universe begin unravelling, and his rage flared. He’d felt this anger towards Frisk before. His vision sparked blue and power radiated off of him in waves.

          “You’re never going to be satisfied, are you?” He snapped, still smiling. He felt a surge of satisfaction when Frisk flinched. “Even now, when everything is good. I see now, that this is just some game to you. I thought you weren’t going to reset anymore, that this was all you ever wanted.” A pause, and the lights went out in his eyes as he let loose the slow, deliberate words. “Guess you’re the type of person that won’t ever be happy.”

          Frisk didn’t respond as the scenery around them began fading. They were shaking, and Sans thought he saw tears behind the bangs covering their face. The kid was scared. He wondered what he’d done in another time to make them shake so bad. He wondered if he’d do it again.

          Sans’ eyes faded back to their normal state. The others wouldn’t know anything was wrong until they disappeared, and he didn’t want to taint the last piece of happiness they might ever experience. “You’re really gonna make them suffer again, aren’t you.”

          The cold was piercing deeper into his bones. There was no point in getting mad, it’d be over soon anyway. He turned back to look at his brother and their friends, who had calmed down and were looking out at the sunset that was already breaking down into ones and zeros and blackness.  

          Sans hoped he’d be able to hold onto some of this when he woke up underground.The sunlight on his bones, Papyrus’ laugh as he drove his dream car. It’d been good this time.

          So much for a happy ending, though. He knew now that the resets wouldn’t ever end. But at least in some timeline, he figured, Papyrus was happy. Sans could play along with this game if he remembered that.

          Frisk grabbed Sans’ sleeve, shaking their head urgently. Their soul was burning bright, crackling and sparking as if fighting against itself, as everything else dimmed. Sans knew they didn’t want this any more than he did.

          Tears finally escaped Sans’ eye sockets as he turned back to see his brother be unwritten. “I know, kid. I’m sorry. Guess you’ll see me soon, eh?”

          All he’d wanted was some good food.

          Some bad laughs.

          Some nice friends.

          Everything became nothing.

          “SANS, YOU LAZYBONES!” The complete darkness of Sans’ room was disrupted as Papyrus threw the door open and shouted. “YOU NAPPED THROUGH YOUR SHIFT AGAIN.”

**Author's Note:**

> Because I love torturing everyone's favorite skeleton.


End file.
